Qualifications

Article IV of the Illinois Constitution states: To be eligible to serve as a member of the General Assembly, a person must be a United States citizen, at least 21 years old, and for the two years preceding his election or appointment a resident of the district which he is to represent.

Competitiveness

Candidates unopposed by a major party

In 66 of the 118 districts up for election in 2014, there is only one major party candidate running for election. A total of 40 Democrats and 26 Republicans are guaranteed election in November barring unforeseen circumstances.

Two major party candidates will face off in the general election in 52 of the 118 districts up for election. Three of those seats held competitive elections in 2012 with a margin of victory ranging from 0 to 5 percent. One other election was mildly competitive, with a margin of victory of 7 percent. Those districts are:

Competitive

District 79: Incumbent Katherine Cloonen (D) defeated primary challenger John Howard and will face Glenn Nixon (R) in the general election. Cloonen won the general election by a margin of victory of 0.21 percent in 2012.

District 112: Incumbent Dwight Kay (R) will face off against challenger Cullen L. Cullen (D). Kay won by a margin of victory of 0.68 percent in 2012.

District 71: Incumbent Mike Smiddy (D) will face off against challenger Jim Wozniak (R). Smiddy won by a margin of victory of 4 percent in 2012.

Mildly competitive

District 55: Incumbent Martin Moylan (D) will face off against challenger Mel Thillens (R). Moylan won by a margin of victory of 7 percent in 2012.

Primary challenges

A total of 13 incumbents faced primary competition on March 18. Eleven incumbents are not seeking re-election in 2014 and another 94 incumbents advanced past the primary without opposition. The state representatives facing primary competition included:

District 81: Unofficial results put the race between Republican incumbent Ron Sandack and Keith R. Matunetoo close to call. The Chicago Tribune puts Sandack ahead by just 153 votes.[1] The winner of the primary will be unchallenged in the general election.

Retiring incumbents

Twelve incumbent representatives did not run for re-election, while 106 (89.8%) are running for re-election. A list of those incumbents, ten Republicans and two Democrats, can be found above.

List of candidates

Note: Candidate lists can change frequently throughout the election season. Ballotpedia staff will be re-examining the list on a monthly basis for any changes. This list was last examined on June 6, 2014. For more information about Ballotpedia's election coverage plan, click here. If you are aware of a candidate we've missed or one incorrectly listed, please send an email to: Tyler King.